Separation of the components of a mixture of fatty acids and rosin acids



. Dec. 17, 1946.

J. J. LOVAS ET AL -SEPARATION oF THE COMPONENTS 0F A MIXTURE OF FATTY ACIDS AND RosIN ACIDS Filed Aug. 1, 1942 REACTION yfSS-L OR AR oma r/c .nu 15N r ATToK/s'fmf Patentedy 17, v1946 UNITI-:D STATES PATENT OFFICEl SEPARATION OF COMPONENTS OF A IICII'SEJRE OF FATTY -ACIDS AND ROSIN Joseph John4 Lovas, Ridgewood, and James F. Loughlin, New York, N. Y.

Application August 1, 1942, Serial No. 453,294 2 Claims. (Cl. 26097.5)

The invention relates in general to the prepa,- ration of waxes from fatty acids, and in particular to a process of preparing waxes from the fatty acids present in mixed fatty and rosin acids prepared from kraft pulp millwaste soap. The mixed acids contain varying percentages of fatty-acids androsin acids. The fatty acids consist principally oi unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid with smaller proportions of linoleic acid and linolenic acids.

The general objectof the invention is to prepare waxes from the above unsaturated fatty acids and also from saturated fatty acids. o,

Al specific object ofthe invention is to prepare waxes from the fatty acids and to separate these f-waxes from the rosin lacid constituents of the mixed acids.'

A further objectof this invention is to provide a process for the searation of the fatty and rosin acid constituents in a mixture of fatty acid constituents and rosin acid constituents.

.Other objects 'will in part be obvious and will in part hereinafterappear.` A

We have now found that waxes can be prepared from saturated vand unsaturated fatty acids by reacting these acids ywith ethylene diamine according to the following reaction, using oleic acid as anexample:` 2C1'1H3sCOOH-i-NH2CH2CH2NH2 We have -found that when mixtures of fatty and rosin acids are treated at an elevated temperaturewith ethylene diamine in quantity suiiif cient only to react with the fatty acids, the fatty acidcomponents will react to form waxes, while 'the rosin acid components will not. The resulting mixture comprises a fatty acid wax and rosin acid. We have found that the rosin acids may be extracted from the fatty wax by a suitable solventV such'as methanol for unsaturated fatty acid waxes.

. The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such 'illustrate the 4invention and are 2 cases where'the original fatty acidwas unsaturated. In cases where the original fatty acid was saturated, a solvent such as benzene, toluene or xylene is required. During the step of separating the fatty acidwaxes from the unreacted rosin acids, any solvent may be-used in .which all the constituents are soluble when hot and` acidi waxes. are

in which solvent only thafatty substantially insoluble when cold.

A water solution containing 69.3% vethylene diamine was used in performing this synthesis, but i the theoreticalv quantity of any reasonable concentration inV water may be usedfsince water is evaporated from the mixture during the reac tion.-

For a further understanding" of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, and to the following examples which are given merely to further not to be construed in a limiting sense.

The drawing illustrates diagrammaticallythe l set-up of suitable apparatus. VAl reaction vessel The wax thus obtained is practically 4free of rosin acids.,

'steps with respect to each of the others thereof,

which will'be exemplified in the process hereinafter disclosed, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

In carrying out the process the fatty acids may be saturate the invention, 'or unsaturated,

y and may .be combined with or free of rosin acids.

During the step of separating the fatty waxes from the unreacted rosin acids, any suitable 'solvent such as methanol may be used in which will be heated, receives-i the Imixed fatty and rosin acids, or tall oil, and the vessel'also receives ethylene diamine and discharges waterv solvent evaporated',condensedand run back for re-use in the process. Upneevaporation of the solvent from the filtrate, any rosingacids or other constituents not previously removed, will be re-,

covered as end-product.

Example I 10o grams .of a. mixed fattyffand` rosin acidi@ with an acid number of 184 and a rosin acid number of '12.5' was heated for a'iperiod lof .4 hours at a temperature of -200 Cri with 8.65 gm. of a 69.3% solution ethylene diamine'in water. This i operation was carried out in a25700` cc. round bottom nask nttea with ajslassiubeconnecting with a water cooled condenserlleading downward to a collecting vessel.` Duringfthe heating period,

. 3 6.4 `grams of distillate were collected. 'I'his dis-IV tillate was accounted for as follows:

Water from 69.3% ethylene diamine 2.65 Water from the reaction\ v 2.59 Distillate from other sources 1.16

After allowing the product to cool, 100.2 grams of a hard brown wax was obtained. l

In order to separate the fatty acid waxes produced from the unsaturated acids present in the mixture, fromthe unreacted rosin acids in the crude wax, the crude mixture was entirely dis,

50 grams of tall oil with a fatty acid content of 47.7% and a rosin acid content of 44.2% were heated for a period of 6 hours at a temperature of about 18W-200 C., with 3.33 grams of ethylene diamine. This operation was carried out in the same equipment as was used in Example I. During the heating period 1.9 grams of distillate re- .sulted and was eliminated. After cooling and crystallizing from methanol, 51.0 grams of a brown wax was obtained.' This crude wax was 'also quite hard. A white unsaturated fatty acid wax similar to that prepared from the mixed acids in ExampleI was prepared from the crude mixture by crystallizing from methanol.

Example 1H 50 grams of pure stearic acid were heated for a period of 6 hours at a temperatureofabout 180 C.200 C., with 7.65 grams of ethylene diamine.

During the heating period, 4.3 grams of distillate were collected. After dissolving the mixture in warm xylol followed by cooling, 52.4 grams of a vary hard, light brown'wax were crystallized out. This saturated fatty acid wax was found to be only slightly soluble in warm methanol, and quite soluble in warm benzol and xylol.

Example IV A mixed fatty and rosin acid with a fatty acid content of 83.3% lfatty'acid, had previously been hydrogenated to prepare a mixture of` stearic and rosin acids. 60 grams of this mixed acidV were heatedand mixed with 5.4 grams of ethylene diaminelat a temperature of about 200-210 C.-

pound from theunreacted rosin acids, the crude wax was dissolvedin 200 cc. of hot xylol. On

. chilling, the stearic acid wax compound was very readily crystallized. It was purified by recrystallizing from fresh xylol and filtered out. Benzol and toluol are entirely suitable. 65.8% of' the crude wax wasl recovered as stearic acid wax compound and.34.2% was recovered from the ltrate as rosin acids.

It will be understood that the degree of hydrogenation of the mixed fatty and rosin acids will have relation upon the hardness of the recovered fatty acid Wax', and that for recovery of wax acid wax with a lower melting point will not be com pletely hydrogenated.

Since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above process without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription shall be interpreted asillustrative-and not in a limiting sense. For example, the prescribed temperatures and times of reaction may be varied under reasonable limits. However, simultaneously reducing the specified preferred temperature,thereby increasing the time of reaction, and raising the temperature substantially above 200 C. may result in decomposition. The temperature range and time of reaction are related and subject to variation over the ranges given in the examples, and which are preferred. While in the examples the preferred, temperature range of 180-200 C. was specified, the temperature Amay be reduced to about 150 C. (this however, requiring a longer time for the reaction) or the temperature may be raised to about 225 C. and correspondingly re` duclng the time of reaction.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A process for separating the fatty acid and rosin acid components of acids derived from the hydrolysis of kraft pulp mill soap which comprises the steps of reacting the mixed. acids with the theoretical quantity of ethylenediamine at an elevated temperature to form a fatty acid amide; dissolving the mixture resulting from said i reaction in a heated solvent selected from the group consisting of methanol, carbonl tetrachloride and hexane; cooling the solution-and M JOSEPH J OHNIQVAS.

JAMES r'. Locom 

